5 Indie darlings who were heavily underutilized in WWE

WWE's fascination with building talent from the ground up has been both a blessing and a curse to the company. Several of the company's homegrown talents like The Rock, John Cena, Batista, and Roman Reigns have gone on to become household names. For a while, it seemed like that the company was apprehensive in pushing someone who was already an established star before they arrived in WWE.

For the longest time, it was believed that one has to be a great physical specimen to succeed in WWE. The in-ring acumen of a wrestler was secondary when it came to being successful in the Stamford-based promotion.

But, over the past few years, there has been a radical change in the company's perception of what a top star should be. This change was brought about by the changing landscape of the business itself, where in-ring athleticism has become the hallmark of being a good wrestler.

The rise and success of independent wrestling have forced Vince McMahon & Co. to take notice, who has hired indie stars and have made them the face of the company. Names like CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, and AJ Styles had made a name for themselves in the independent circuit before their arrival in WWE.

But for every Daniel Bryan, there have been a dozen other Independent wrestlers whom the company had no idea what to do with. These wrestlers were never allowed to fully shine and ended up having an underwhelming run in the company.

Here are five indie darlings who were heavily underutilized in WWE.

#5. Colt Cabana (Scotty Goldman)

Colt Cabana is a name that has been synonymous with independent wrestling in North America for the last two decades. With numerous championships and accolades to his names, many consider the Chicago-native to be the personification of what an independent wrestler should be. Cabana made a name for himself during the early to mid-2000s working alongside his then real-life friend, CM Punk.

WWE fans might remember Cabana from CM Punk's infamous pipebomb promo where he name-dropped Cabana. But, what many might not remember is Cabana's run in WWE as Scotty Goldman. Hell, even I couldn't remember it only until a few years ago. Cabana worked for WWE from 2007 to 2009 where he was mostly used as a jobber before being released in February 2009.

Cabana currently works for Ring of Honor as both a colour commentator and an in-ring talent. Apart from wrestling, Cabana is also a stand-up comic and hosts a very popular wrestling podcast called, 'Art of Wrestling' (wonder where I heard about that one).

#4. Kaval (Low Ki)

One of the founding fathers of Ring of Honor, Low Ki was the inaugural Ring of Honor World Champion. He defeated Christopher Daniels, Spanky and Doug Williams in a four-way Iron man match. Although his reign lasted for only 56 days, him being the inaugural holder of a prestigious title like the ROH World Championship is something that'll always be in the record books. Apart from ROH, Low Ki is also known for his work in promotions like PWG, TNA/Impact, and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

He signed with WWE in 2008 and assigned to FCW - WWE's developmental territory at that time. Low Ki made his debut under the name 'Kaval' on the second season of NXT, back when it used to be a reality TV show. He went on to win the second season of NXT, earning a future title opportunity of his choosing.

Kaval's main roster run was a bust from the get-go as he would end up losing most of his matches before unsuccessfully challenging Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series 2010. He was released by WWE in December 2010.

Low Ki has had major success since his departure from WWE. He has heavily criticized the company's internal workings, which he said was the reason behind things not working out in the WWE. He currently works in Major League Wrestling (MLW) where he is a former MLW World Heavyweight Champion.

#3. Austin Aries

The Greatest Man that ever lived has a resume that only a few can match. Austin Aries has won championships in every promotion that he has been part of. Finally, after a decade of proving himself all across the globe, Aries signed with WWE in 2016 and made his debut at NXT Takeover: Dallas where he defeated Baron Corbin in a singles match. Aries would suffer an orbital socket injury during an NXT live event in October 2016 which would keep him out of action for the rest of the year.

During his time off due to injury, Aries would debut as a color commentator for WWE's Cruiserweight division and 205 Live. Aries would then feud with Neville over the Cruiserweight Championship, which led to a match between the duo at WrestleMania 33, which Aries lost. Despite being a great in-ring talent who possessed immaculate promo skills, the management never really got behind A-Double.

Following his WWE exit, Aries returned to IMPACT, where he had run with their World Championship before dropping it to Johnny Impact at Bound For Glory 2017. Aries is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW).

#2. Neville (PAC)

Many fans, myself included, believe that Neville was one of WWE's biggest missed opportunities in the past decade. The Brit had everything one would want in a WWE Superstar. He has a great physique and can pull off breathtaking aerial manoeuvres and. is one of the best in-ring performers in the business. Before signing with WWE, Neville was renowned for his work in Dragon Gate in Japan and on the UK independent scene as PAC.

Neville had a stellar run in NXT from 2012 to 2015, winning the NXT Championship once and the NXT Tag Team Championship on two separate occasions. Although his main roster run had its ups and downs, it wasn't what many expected it to be. Apart from the Cruiserweight Championship, Neville was never in contention for any singles title during his time on the main roster. Apart from a few throw-away title matches on TV, 'The Man That Gravity Forgot' never got a proper title push. His Cruiserweight Championship, although one of the best title reign in recent memory, will be remembered by for the way that it ended.

After walking out of the company due to creative differences in October 2017, Neville would disappear from the business due to contract disputes with WWE before being released in August 2018. He has since returned to Dragon Gate and won the Open the Dream Gate Championship.

#1. Hideo Itami (KENTA)

Widely touted as WWE'S biggest international signing at that time, KENTA arrived in WWE in 2014. The Pro Wrestling Noah standout was already an established name in the independent circuit before his signing with the world's biggest wrestling promotion. Apart from Noah, KENTA's work in Ring of Honor earned him widespread notoriety in the North American market. KENTA's hard-hitting style, which included an array of stiff kicks endeared him to wrestling fans all around the world.

But, despite all the hype, Itami's run in WWE was saddled with a string of unfortunate injuries. Itami first suffered a shoulder injury in May 2015 which ruled him out in-ring action for over a year. Just a few months after returning, Itami would suffer another injury, this time to the neck, which kept him off the squared circle for the next six months.

Many believed that Itami's move to 205 Live in November 2017 would infuse new life into his character and that he would become the focal point of the purple brand at some point. But that sadly didn't happen as Itami was never allowed to shine properly on the purple brand as well. He was released by the company in February of this year. He recently made his debut for New Japan and is currently competing in the 2019 G1 Climax.